INDIANAPOLIS — In a busy four-month legislative session, lawmakers simply can't get everything they want passed.
There are many reasons why a bill could fail, such as not enough support for it, the author didn’t like changes made to it, or a lack of hearing in a committee.
Here are some of the top bills that made it – or didn’t. Click each title for more information on the proposal.
It’s an odd legislative year, meaning lawmakers must pass a state budget to cover the next two years. They did that Wednesday night, passing a $34 billion budget. But the funding for adoption subsidies was removed late in the process, angering foster and adoptive advocates.
Lawmakers approved a measure that will legalize sports betting in the state, as well as allow for new casinos in Gary and Terre Haute. Sports betting could begin as soon as this fall.
A bill that would’ve created a state-approved training curriculum for teachers on handguns died late in the session. The bill also would’ve prevented teachers from getting shot with projectiles during active shooter trainings unless they consent.
Pregnant 16-and 17-year-olds will be able to get routine treatment under a House bill that passed the legislature. A similar bill failed in the Senate, but changes were made to make sure a doctor attempts to contact a teen’s parents before performing any care.
A proposed tax on e-cigarettes died on the last day of the general assembly. Lawmakers couldn’t get on the same page on how much the tax should be – some believed 20 percent, others 5 percent. Late in the session’s final day, some lawmakers thought a lower tax wouldn’t be effective, so the bill died.
One of the most polarizing topics of the session, Indiana lawmakers passed a hate crimes bill this session – kind of. Republican leaders claim the law gets Indiana off the “naughty list,” the list of states without a hate crimes law. But the Anti-Defamation League, the so-called keepers of the list, said Indiana’s new law is too vague to remove it from the “naughty list.”
Efforts to allow children as young as 12 tried in adult court for attempted murder charges failed late in the session. The push came after the shooting at Noblesville West Middle School, where a 13-year-old opened fire in class. A provision changing that part of the law was removed.
It took some work, but Indiana lawmakers approved a bill designed to prevent another disaster as what happened in northern Indiana in late 2018. Three children were struck and killed by a passing vehicle while crossing the street to their school bus. The bill will increase the penalty for passing a school bus with its stop arm out.
